UK CMA Opens Further Consultation on User Choice Conduct Requirement for Google Search

Summary

The UK Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched a further consultation on 23 September 2026 regarding a proposed user choice conduct requirement for Google’s general search services under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers (DMCC) Act 2024 regime. This follows the CMA’s earlier imposition of publisher, fair ranking, and data portability conduct requirements on Google earlier in 2026 after designating the company with Strategic Market Status (SMS).

Insight

The DMCC framework allows the CMA to stagger and refine behavioral remedies iteratively, progressing from content access and ranking rules to structural consumer choice mechanisms that could mandate choice screens or alter default search distribution.

Implication

Google faces additional regulatory constraints on how it presents default search settings and alternative services to UK users, potentially opening new distribution avenues for rival general search engines and specialized search tools.

Why it matters

Search defaults and choice architecture dictate default web entry points and upstream traffic distribution; a formalized user choice requirement could alter how millions of UK consumers select search and discovery engines.

Evidence

• Primary source
• Evidence ID: uk-cma-google-search-case--14ad47f9d77b9c6f

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 Conduct requirements
+Further consultation on user choice conduct requirement
+23 September 2026: The CMA has launched a
+further consultation on a user choice conduct requirement
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 Fair ranking and data portability conduct requirements imposed
 17 June 2026: The CMA has imposed its fair ranking and data portability conduct requirements on Google.
 Publisher conduct requirement imposed